NWest MEC calls for calm as municipality goes under administration

The North West Local Government MEC Gordon Kegakilwe says the municipality has not been able to pay salaries.

The North West Local Government MEC Gordon Kegakilwe appealed for calm in Ottosdal and the greater Tswaing Local Municipality following violent service delivery protests.

Protesting residents torched a community library, municipal offices and two trucks, which led to police being dispatched.

The municipality is facing severe cash flow challenges, with workers and councillors going without pay after the municipality’s accounts were attached when the municipality ignored a court order to pay one of its service providers.

Kegakilwe said, “The municipality has not been able to pay salaries of the workers to date and it is a matter of concern to us. Secondly I came here to indicate to council that EXCO of the province has taken a decision to put the municipality under administration…”

“Therefore I came here to say here are the administrators, the team of about four individuals who are going to run this particular municipality,” he added.

Kegakilwe also warned municipalities that if they resist the provincial government’s decision to place them under administration, strong action will be taken against them.

This comes after the provincial government placed 13 municipalities under administration after it emerged that they were battling to deliver basic services to communities.

Earlier in the week, the Lekwa Teemane Municipality under which Bloemhof and Christiana fall, chased away the administrators that the provincial government had deployed to take it over.

Kegakilwe said resisting being placed under administration will force the provincial government to dissolve the municipalities.